Navigating multicultural parent engagement in non-DEI schools
As public schools across the country dismantle DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) initiatives, many parents are left wondering how to ensure their children. Especially those from multicultural backgrounds. Will we receive the support we deserve? This workshop offers a clear, actionable blueprint for Asian parents to advocate effectively within non-DEI school environments.
Whether you’re a parent seeking to protect your child’s educational experience or a community leader looking to support families, this workshop will equip you with the knowledge and tools you need.
Punam V Saxena is a keynote, TEDx, and SXSW speaker, writer, two-time author, and an Asian Indian who grew up in rural Georgia after integration in the 1970s where her family was the only Indian in the community for more than a decade. She has been an outsider for most of her life and could never, as a child, have imagined where her life journey has taken her. Punam homed those experiences as a second-generation Indian American and began her work in advocacy over 35 years ago after realizing the conflict that Asian Indian women feel between their collectivist, cultural homes and the individualistic, American society in which they live.
Punam holds a B.A. in psychology from Emory University, M.Ed. from University of South Florida, and is currently a doctoral candidate at Florida Southern College studying the cultural identity of Asian American Indian women and their experiences in America as second-generation college students. She is also a freelance writer for Edutopia, and Medium. Punam speaks on the unique experiences of cultural bias, the Model Minority Stereotype, parent engagement in schools, Asian student challenges, and empowering South Asian womxn voices in leadership. Her signature TEDx talk, The Key to Student Success, highlights the minority experience in school while growing up as “other.”
In addition to her work, Punam enjoys hanging out with her husband and four children, travelling, reading, cooking, and running.
Connect with Punam:
LinkedIn | Website
Learn more from her books:
Parent Power: Navigate School and Beyond
Powerful Parenting: 101 Ways to Stay Positive, a Parent Affirmation Journal
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Please note that this a space that centers women and those who relate to their lived experience. If you do not identify with this and would still like to support or engage with the community, feel free to reach out to The Authentic Asian team. We’d be happy to explore other ways to include you.